Embracing Being Both Human and Divine

A New Kind of News for a New Kind of Earth?

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall – think of it, always. Ghandi

I spent most of today watching the events in Boston as they unfolded on tv. As I watched, I had many, meandering thoughts as I’m sure many of you did and do. My thoughts tend to go in many different and somewhat wild directions however as I tend to now view these events as to how they relate to the evolution and hopefully the potential ascension of our species.

I am one of those people who could be considered an “empath.” I absorb other people’s and my own energy – often to my detriment. I absorb it all and all the way around. In addition to weeping and grieving for victims of tragedy I also find myself wondering about the pain of the person who everyone wants to hate. I wonder how the same God that creates our light can also create such darkness in our own kind. I think about what it must be like to be that person who is borne with that ugliness inside of them – what that must feel like to be hated or to hate or to be the one to have THAT be your purpose and your legacy in life. Why. When. How. It cant feel very good to feel that way inside. Nor can it feel good to those who bore them or raised them.

Because of this I also have trouble watching the news, especially as it is often portrayed. Too much incomprehension or sadness or fear outweighing the hopeful or funny or cheerful. I absorb sad, bad, inhumane etc and it affects me. Its hard for me to sit with it or to understand it even though I know its part of the human condition. I know I’m naïve but I have trouble with labels like “evil” because I fundamentally believe that everything derives from the same divinity. I think such labels scare us and separate us; they simplify things and keep us from asking some questions that might need to be asked to truly understand the necessity of souls such as these to be present on this planet. I wonder what it is about this being human thing that we even need it anymore. And why we are so transfixed by it. Me too.

I tried really hard not to watch the Boston coverage on the first day because of this but like all of us was invariably and inexorably drawn in, especially today.

But why is it? Why are we so drawn in? There is always the compelling stories of community and love and our being the best that we can be that come alongside the examples of the worst that we can be as human beings. We need this and each other and that sense of community amongst such horror. But my question is this, at this point in our species evolution, and after proving it time and time again, through tragic event after tragic event through tragic event, do we really still need such tragedy and terror to bring forth the inherent goodness and courageousness of people? Do we really need bad things to happen to take stock, realize, appreciate and even celebrate? Isnt there a way we can have all this goodness emerge – and more importantly report on goodness -without the terror or the lost lives or the lost limbs to precede it.

I had this strong sense that came over me this morning that as a country and as a planet, maybe we are coming close to the time when we actually don’t need it anymore. That we might actually be ready to ascend to a level where love can prevail purely on its own accord.

Or maybe I’m just an idealist. Maybe I listen to too many John Lennon songs. And read too many spiritual books. Call me crazy.

Yes, I had this sense – or maybe it was just a mere wish – a yearning, even a pleading to the powers that orchestrate the gyrations of this planet that we are perhaps – please God –close to an end of the era where we need anymore examples of how well we respond to hate and fear to show us how well love. We do it well. We know we do it well. We don’t need the tests anymore.

It made me think of Ghandi’s quote above. I wondered could we becoming close to a time where the tyrants and murderers fall for good? A true “New Earth”.

I know we know how to love. And how to love well. I read and hear stories about it all the time. Stories about entrepeneurs creating businesses, people volunteering, non-profits being established, about writers, inventors, artists, innovators, donors doing good, and of ordinary people sacrificing their own lives to help one another. So why aren’t we promoting these stories on the evening news with the same fervor and intensity as we do every major tragedy?

I’m no different than anyone else. I find myself glued to the tv and the story as it unfolds live before my eyes. Even though I cant stand the chaos that created it. I cry at the heartbreak of every loss of life, I feel the shock of those who were there, and I marvel at the beauty of people coming together in common purpose for a time and how love always triumphs. I feel every part of the human story and connectedness to it all. And that’s why I watch, why we all watch I suppose

Still I’m troubled. I think if we create an intention to sell more good news then perhaps we can create more good news. I’d kind of like to see us showcase more of how the light of humanity glows naturally even in the absence of horror to provoke it, especially in its absence. I even think there is a lot more of this good stuff going on minute to minute, day to day than the other. Maybe we can figure out a way for the word “good” to have the same visceral charge that the word “evil” does.

If I were Queen for a day I would love to issue a challenge for the news media and for all of us spectators. How about for the next day or two all “breaking news” be about some extraordinary uplifting event that is covered with the same ubiquity as when terror strikes one of our towns. Special reports and 24/7 coverage on every major channel. Maybe some VIPS, politicians or even the President himself could fly to the scene of goodness and have his speech broadcast on every news station. We could hear about how people are acting courageously and generously without also having to list the names of victims and speak of the sorrow that accompanies the glory.

In fact I’d love to see a whole news channel dedicated to the good that is going on in the world. That doesn’t mean some bad stuff might still happen or need to be reported on but just that maybe on balance we are tuned in to something that paints a different overarching picture overall.

So I thought I should do some research to see in fact how much uplifting, inspiring good news stories I could identify. And I was so glad I did. Because I found lots of sites already dedicated to the reporting of good news. I felt like my “challenge” was already being responded to – if not yet quite on network news then at least on the internet.

I was pleased to discover a host of “good news” websites – I list some of them here… dailygood.org; amazingnews.org; sunnyskyz.org; goodnewsnetwork.org to name a few. I urge you to check them out. Support my Queen for a Day challenge and see if we can share and support the telling of all the good news that happens in this world every moment of every day.

And if there is anyone out there in a position to start a network or perhaps just a “reality” tv show I challenge you too! A New Kind of News for a New Kind of Earth…

Maybe we can even call it — “Graceful Under Fire”…. (copyright – all rights reserved 🙂

Growing up in Boston gave me a closer connection to the situation and we were glued to the TV throughout the coverage.
I ideally agree with your thoughts and love the websites, but reallity is another issue!

thank you for reading my blog and for taking the time to comment. I knew some of what I was trying to say might be a bit controversial. I understand that some of what I say is overly idealistic and that our current reality is — unfortunately that there is still hatred and violence in this world. Lately I have come to believe that another kind of world is possible and that we are actually headed in that direction. So some of what I speak of is idealism and some of it is hope. I have also noticed lately though that a lot of what gets said on tv – in the news, in commercials etc instills a lot of fear and includes a lot of language of fear. I think all that does is breed further misunderstanding and feelings of being separate. And I think its that kind of sense of separation that allows cultures of hatred and violence. I realize its way more complicated than that. Some people just are damaged souls I suppose and/or many other issues too difficult to analyze. My point was that I have a feeling that maybe we are coming close to a time in our evolution where we wont need it anymore – or need the tragic to remind of us how well we love and help one another. Of course I could be totally wrong. But I wouldn’t be the first person to say “I have a dream” – of something that looks not possible from where we stand today. I in no way mean to diminish the horror or the grief of these events and especially those closest to it- at the same time I hold out hope for something better. It is still unfathomable to me how anyone can do things like this. I do wish we could hear more about all the good things that are happening because there is a lot of it and it would gain the same level of interest.